Kicking off our 2026 Travels!

Monday, the 2nd of March, we begin our eagerly anticipated 2026 adventure!

We've been wondering whether we could leave on this date, given the forecast. It was expected that there would be heavy rain in our area, just as the system caused when it passed through the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and Western New South Wales. Initially, the forecast predicted an 80% chance of rain on several days before our departure, but as the days drew closer, those chances decreased. It's quite remarkable how, even with all our modern technology, weather forecasts can still be so unpredictable for just one week.

When travelling west through New South Wales, our favourite routes are the Golden Highway and the Gwydir Highway. This holiday, we decided to take the  Gwydir Highway, which heads west from Grafton. Our first night's stop on this scenic route is at Cangai Bridge, just 150 km from home. This free camping spot is lovely for a peaceful getaway, especially during the week when we often get to enjoy it all to ourselves or with just a few fellow campers. This time, there were ten groups here, but since the area is so spacious, everyone has their own space to enjoy and relax.

This site is on private property, so please remember to take all your waste with you to keep the area beautiful for everyone. If you're visiting a site without facilities, it's a good idea to come well-prepared. Bring plenty of water, a trusty camping stove or portable grill for cooking, and don't forget a toilet. Cangai Bridge is a fantastic place to immerse yourself in the stunning scenery and enjoy a refreshing swim in the Mann River.

From here, we continue our journey westward, climbing the Dividing Range as the highway passes through Gibraltar Range National Park and through charming towns like Glen Innes and Inverell. Just 32 km west of Inverell, we take a minor road to one of our absolute favourite spots—camping right alongside the beautiful Gwydir River in Bingara. We've been camping there since 2008, when we picked up our first Bushtracker. The friendly locals kindly ask for a donation, which we're always happy to provide. While the campsite itself is simple, with no facilities, the town offers everything we need, including a well-stocked IGA, a friendly butcher, and a bakery.

Travelling from Bingara to Barraba will be a first for us, but I've always been eager to visit here and film the painted silos. Back in 2019, we explored the silo trail in Victoria. The Barraba silo was painted by Fintan Magee, the same artist who created the fantastic mural on the Patchewollock silo. That mural features a striking 35-metre-high image of local farmer Nick Hulland in the Wimmera district of Victoria.

 

During a challenging drought in New South Wales, the Barraba silo was beautifully painted, showcasing Fitan Magee's artwork of a water diviner searching for groundwater. He dedicated twenty-four days to completing this mural, and today there are more than fifty painted silos across Australia, with new ones being added continually. It's inspiring to see how art brings hope and vibrancy even in tough times.

We then headed further south to Manila, bypassing Tamworth by taking Rushes Creek Road. This route connected us to the Oxley Highway as we headed to Gunnedah. Along the way, we spotted more painted silos that hadn't been painted since our last visit, so we happily took out the drone once again to capture them.

After our quick stop, we continued along the Oxley Highway, heading southwest through Tambar Springs and along The Black Stump Way. We spent the evening camping at the local sporting club in the small town of Coolah. There are no facilities, but camping is free, and public toilets are just a short stroll away for those who need them. That evening, we dined at the club. They have a Chinese restaurant, which we thought was average, but then we are spoiled by what we can have at home. We were truly lucky to witness such a stunning sunset, setting a high bar for any future ones we hope to see.

We kept driving along the Black Stump Way until we reached the Golden Highway, about 10 km east of Dunedoo, then proceeded to Dubbo, where we refuelled before heading south to Wellington, Molong, and Cudal, before stopping for the evening in the small town of Eugowra, where we stayed at the Myall Street Park. It's a lovely area with lush green grass and potable water available for a donation. Best of all, we had the whole place to ourselves for the evening. 

We prefer exploring less-travelled roads whenever we can, even if it means a bit more time on the road. We're happy to take this route to avoid busy roads like the Newell Highway.

Our journey the next day took us south to Grenfell for another silo photo opportunity.

 The MidWestern Highway led us to West Wyalong, and then we enjoyed spending the evening at the showgrounds in Weethalle, just like we have before. It's only a $10 fee per night, and the campground provides toilets, showers, drinking water, and power. We're perfectly happy to pay our fee, but we always use our own facilities.

The nearby country club, within walking distance, serves exceptional pizzas, and we can highly recommend the supreme. We shared our table with fellow travellers Cathie and Arthur, who, at 82, still tow their van and love a good yarn about their travels.

The next day, we continued along the MidWestern Highway towards Hay. The sides of the roads are so damaged that whenever we can, we ride the white line in the middle of the road. These roads were never built for the size and number of trucks now using them.

Tonight, Sunday 8 March, we are camping for two nights at Sandy Point Reserve outside Hay. It's located in black soil country, and it would be nearly impossible to extract oneself if it rains while camping here. There has obviously been rain over the past week or so, as evidenced by the large puddles and churned-up dirt where people have tried to leave, although we have found a dry spot for our stay and have also checked the weather for this period. On our first evening, we estimated there would be at least fifty vans parked for the night and just as many on our second night. Filled with fuel today at $2.299 cpl, which is quite a shock.

Tuesday morning, 10 March, has us heading further west as we join the Sturt Highway. It was only a short 132 km trip to camp just south of Balranald at Yanga National Park. Once again, we've checked the weather to ensure no issues, as the area is also on black soil. We could see evidence of recent rains with a boggy hole we needed to negotiate to back into our site.

Our journey on Wednesday, 11 March, takes us further west. As we passed Euston and were about 20 km east of Mildura, we saw a massive dust storm approaching, driven by very strong winds. As we continued past Mildura, the dust thickened, and visibility dropped to about 200 metres, but fortunately, after about 20 km, the dust cleared.

Needless to say, poor Betty is now covered in a thin layer of fine dust.